Weapon
by Fractured Dreams
Summary: They'd been pulling each other out of trouble since they were kids, and that hadn't changed over the years. Genma x Raidou, Yaoi. Part 7 of the unravelled series
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: _The characters and the concept of Naruto belong to their rightful owner. I'm just borrowing them for awhile._

**Warnings**: _Yaoi, swearing and some mention of torture/mutilation. If you're squemish, you probably shouldn't read this installment_

**Author's Note**: _Part 7 of the Unravelled series and the final installment. This part will be posted as two chapters, as it's rather long. _

_Line breaks symbolise a change of scenery or a memory._

_Memories are written in Italics  
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_**Weapon**_

_**Part One**_

Genma sighed as he finally finished his latest mission report. Wearily, he signed his name, and rolled the scroll up, tied it securely and threw it onto the table with a grunt of disgust. If there was one thing he hated about being back on missions, it was wasting time on the damn reports that followed.

Not only did they eat up time in which he could be doing any number of necessary things, they also ate into his time spent with Raidou.

He smiled at the thought and ran his hands through his hair. In all of his memory, he could never remember being as happy as he was. Raidou had done that. Now that they were lovers, his life was as near to perfect as it would ever get. He was back on missions, his family was happy and healthy and he was with Raidou; he couldn't really ask for more.

After that tense night when Raidou had confessed everything, things had quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm. Raidou had begun the arduous task of healing Genma's heart, and Genma had begun to educate Raidou on what it was like to be loved by another man. And Raidou was a genius student, if he did say so himself.

At first they'd taken things slowly, but after his initial doubts, Raidou had thrown himself into their relationship with the same enthusiasm he had for everything else in his life. His partner loved so completely and fiercely that sometimes it left Genma quite awestruck.

While they'd slipped into their relationship relatively problem free, they had gone slowly and steadily when it came to the sexual side of their partnership. Genma hadn't slept with anyone since before that disastrous mission, and Raidou was still a little nervous when it all came down to it.

Genma had surprised him though. For their first few times, he'd willingly submitted as the bottom, as Raidou wasn't comfortable with the idea of someone being inside of him. But after their first few times, his doubts had been expelled, and it had been Genma's turn to bury himself inside of Raidou as he'd longed to do.

He didn't mind being top or bottom, and neither did Raidou , so their sex life was diverse and interesting, and completely mind-blowing.

Stretching with a smile on his face, Genma listened for some noise that would indicate where his lover was. Hearing noises in the bathroom, he stood up. Turning in the mission report could wait.

Genma received a face full of steam when he opened the door, and he coughed slightly, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Jesus. Raidou? What are you doing in here?" he called as he switched the fan on.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" was the tired reply.

As the steam slowly cleared from the room, he saw that Raidou was lying in a steaming bath, smiling at him. He'd returned from a tough mission not an hour ago, and all good shinobi knew that the best way to soothe aching muscles was a long hot bath. Raidou had taken that to heart, and Genma studied the scarred and strangely beautiful body submerged beneath the water. There were no visible signs of injury, which was something of a relief to him and the worst he could see was a slight scrape over one forearm and a small bruise on his shoulder.

Raidou sat up and Genma watched, fascinated, as water cascaded over taut muscles, trickling down the planes of Raidou's broad chest. He raised his eyes to meet knowing brown ones.

"Join me?"

"How could I resist?" Genma smirked, straightening from his slouched position against the door frame. Smoothly shedding his clothes, he sauntered over to the bath, all too aware of Raidou's eyes following his every movement, and loving it.

They hadn't seen each other for over a week, and they both knew what they wanted and needed, but neither was in any particular hurry to get to it because it felt as if they were suspended in some kind of fantasy world, where all that existed was Genma and Raidou, and the steam floating gently around them.

Raidou shifted in the bath, making room for him, and Genma stepped in and settled himself behind Raidou. With a contented sigh, Raidou moved back against him, settling between his legs, his back pressed to Genma's chest.

Genma wrapped his arms around Raidou's middle and buried his nose in his lover's neck, inhaling deeply.

"Why do I always forget how good you smell," he wondered out loud, mostly to himself.

"I have no idea," was the quiet reply.

"How was your mission? Any dramas?" Genma asked.

"Not bad as far as assassination missions go. What about you?"

Genma grunted and didn't reply, pressing a kiss to a tanned shoulder instead.

"Missed you," he murmured instead.

"Genma? Why didn't you answer the question?"

Genma didn't have to see Raidou's face to know that he was frowning and he sighed inwardly, knowing that Raidou wouldn't let it go until he got an answer. That didn't mean that he'd give in so easily, not even to Raidou.

"It was fine," he lied, swiping his tongue across a scar, pale against the tanned skin. Raidou shivered slightly, and stroked a hand over Genma's forearm.

"Can we not do this, Genma?" Raidou asked with a sigh.

"Do what?"

"This. Where we dance around as issue until it drives us both crazy and we end up fighting."

"I don't consider it fighting. More of a discussion, really when you think about it," he said in an off hand tone, as he caressed Raidou's stomach with his fingers.

"Did you have another fit?" Raidou asked, tensing slightly against Genma.

He had been back on missions for a few months but Tsunade had been reluctant in the first place, because he was still having seizures from time to time and that could be extremely dangerous if he had one whilst on a mission. Genma had argued that plenty of disabled nin went on missions and completed them successfully. Hayate was one of them, and there were others that were blind, deaf, or had speech impediments. Tsunade had reluctantly agreed in the end, but on the provision that he remained on medication.

Much to Genma's disgust, the medication actually worked, proving Tsunade right, but as long as he could go on missions, he was satisfied. And while Raidou was happy for him that he was a successful shinobi once more, he always worried about Genma having a seizure while on duty, despite Genma's best efforts to reassure him

"No, nothing like that. It was nothing."

"Please Genma. I don't want to fight about this." Raidou sounded resigned, and Genma felt instantly guilty.

Raidou was worn down and in need of some rest and some time with him, and here he was making things difficult. He sighed and kissed Raidou's neck again in silent apology.

"I had a...minor disagreement with one of my team mates," he admitted, emphasizing the minor bit.

"What kind of disagreement?"

"We didn't agree on a method of attack, and he implied that I was incapable of functioning properly as a nin after what happened," he replied, unable to keep the tension from his voice.

Raidou sat up and turned as much as the tub would allow to look at him with suspicion in his eyes.

"And? What else?"

Genma was reluctant to continue, but Raidou poked him in the side and he winced.

"He said things. About us. I may have over reacted a little."

Raidou narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do?"

"I punched him. In the face."

Raidou rolled his eyes, and considered him with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What? He asked for it. And besides, it's not like I did that much damage to him. He could still walk." Genma defended himself.

Suddenly Raidou grinned and leant towards him.

"I love it when you get all protective over me," he murmured against his lips, still grinning. "It's hot."

With a groan, Genma crushed his lips to Raidou's in a searing kiss, delving deep and becoming intoxicated with his taste. It was hot, wet and everything he'd been needing.

Raidou pulled back, and smiled at him warmly before settling against him once more and pulling Genma's arms around him once more.

They sat in silence, just drinking in each others presence and letting the hot water soothe aches and pains Genma hadn't even known existed.

Raidou sighed, and Genma rubbed his chest.

"What's wrong? Are you upset with me?"

"No. I'm just tired that's all." Raidou replied, but he seemed distracted, and out of sorts.

Genma tightened his arms around his lover, and pulled him closer.

"Then what's bothering you? Something's wrong." he asked gently, as he kissed Raidou's sweet smelling skin once more.

Raidou rested his head against Genma's, and remained quiet but shifted against him slightly, pressing his buttocks more firmly against Genma's groin. Genma stifled a groan and forced himself not to get too interested. Something was upsetting Raidou, and he refused to be one of those people who put his needs before those of his loved ones. Besides, whenever Raidou was upset about something, Genma was upset too. He hated to see Raidou worried about anything, although the other man hid it well. Raidou had been that way since they were boys, and Genma was probably the only one who could tell when something was up with him. They'd been pulling each other out of trouble since they were kids, and that hadn't changed over the years.

"Hey, come on. Talk to me, Raidou. Whatever it is, we'll sort it out."

Raidou sighed again, and entwined his fingers with Genma's.

"You know that I love you more than anything don't you?" he asked. "That I'd do anything to keep you safe?

"Of course I know. Why as you asking me that?"

"It's just....you're not the only one copping shit for us being together. I've heard people talking about us. About....what we have isn't right," Raidou said quietly.

"Who the fuck cares what they think? What happens between us is isn't any of their business to start with, and I don't regret a minute of the pain I felt, because it meant that I got you. As long as us being together is what we both want, then nothing they say can touch us. I want nothing more than to be with you, and I don't fucking care what anyone thinks of that. But if you're still having doubts about this...."

The thought cut him like a knife but he had learned something of jumping to conclusions during the long process of his rehabilitation so he ignored the flash of pain the very notion caused him and concentrated on what Raidou would say in response.

He was surprised when Raidou twisted in the bath and glared at him fiercely.

"Of course I'm not, baka! I just....sometimes it's hard not to get angry, you know? I'm still angry at myself for jerking you around like I did and what they say just makes it worse."

"It doesn't matter," Genma whispered, leaning his forehead against Raidou's. "None of that matters. As long as we get to come home to each other at the end of the day, they can all go take a flying leap as far as I'm concerned."

"Fuck, Genma...." Raidou sighed again and he pulled Genma close to him, running his hands through his hair.

Genma leant into his lover's touch, satisfied and relieved that he had somehow managed to sort it out with his awkward words that did little to express exactly how strongly he felt about the subject. He sensed a deeper need in Raidou though, a desperation that was a mystery to him. The intensity in Raidou's eyes told him of a deep seated fear that Genma didn't understand and could do nothing about.

When Raidou kissed him, it was dominating and fierce, passionate and rough. Genma responded willingly, and let himself be pulled closer to Raidou's chest. He was panting when the kiss ended, but Raidou didn't seem satisfied with that. He stood up suddenly, and offered a hand to Genma, who appraised him thoughtfully for a moment before he took it. Raidou yanked him to his feet and pulled him closer by his hips.

"Lets take this somewhere more comfortable," he murmured in Genma's ear, and he shivered as that deep, almost smoky voice sent waves of longing throughout his body. It wasn't often that Raidou got so dominant and demanding, but whenever he did Genma turned into a pool of jelly. He always found himself willingly submitting to Raidou without thought, eager to be a little rough and thirsting Raidou's seduction.

As it was, Raidou led him out into the living room, and backed him up against the wall. They were both still wet from the bath, but neither of them cared. Raidou pushed his body against Genmas, who groaned and pulled him in for a kiss. Raidou devoured his mouth, one hand gripping his hair tightly and the other sliding down his leg and hitching it up over his hip. Feeling Raidou's hardness against his own, Genma groaned and wrapped his other leg around Raidou's waist as their kisses became more rough, a battle for dominance. Raidou's hands were on his ass, and all Genma could concentrate on was getting more of Raidou, getting all of him.

Moments later Raidou had tumbled them onto the living room floor and was grinding his hips downwards making Genma forget that anything else existed except Raidou and his wonderful hands, and his lips which fed him such beautiful bliss.

Raidou detangled himself from Genma's arms and legs and began to move his lips lower, using his hands to map his chest, his legs, anything that came within reach. His hands smoothed over Genma's stomach, his lips finding all of his sensitive spots and using them shamelessly. He sucked slowly on his nipples as his hand stroked Genma tauntingly.

Genma couldn't believe the noises he made; his pleas as Raidou's teeth nipped at his inner thighs, his throaty moans when he was buried deep within that hot, wet mouth. His whispers and his cries for more all barely registered when Raidou finally, finally buried himself within him. There was a flare of pain, but that was nothing. Not when Raidou was moving so expertly and so beautifully, hitting all the right places and saying all the right things as he carried Genma higher and higher until there was no where left to go.

When Raidou had screamed his release and after Genma had been reduced to a gibbering wreck and had Raidou lying quietly on his chest and in his arms, they lay there and absorbed the silence.

Genma could tell that Raidou was thinking about something, so he said nothing and left him alone, absorbed as he was in his own thoughts. Raidou really was his world; he had made Genma love himself again, after he'd lost that love when he'd been injured.

Raidou, the boy he had grown up with, the man he had fallen in love with had given Genma back his ability to be happy with himself after his horrible injuries had robbed him of his self-confidence. There weren't enough ways to show his gratitude and love for this man, and even if he had a thousand lifetimes, he knew that it wasn't enough.

Eventually, Raidou stirred and pressed a kiss to his chest before raising his head to look at him.

"I didn't mean to be so rough."

Genma smiled at him and ran a hand through his hair. "I loved it. And I love you."

If Raidou needed his reassurance, then he'd give it to him. He'd give him anything to show that all was well. Nothing else mattered except that they had each other. As he pulled Raidou into another deep kiss, he knew that whatever it was that was bothering Raidou would be revealed in due time. Until then, he'd give his lover everything he needed.

* * *

The next day dawned early, and Genma groaned as he rolled over. Raidou was lying awake and staring at the ceiling. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and squinting at the clock, he turned his head and studied his friend. The other man was somewhere else in his mind because he hadn't even noticed that Genma was awake. The rosy early morning light cast Raidou's scarred cheek into a fascinating patchwork of shadow and light, and he had to resist the urge to run his fingers over it. Raidous eyes were so sad and worried, and vacant and Genma felt slightly nauseous with worry and doubt. Was Raidou having doubts about them? Was he unhappy or unsatisfied?

Genma cleared his throat quietly.

"Hey," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. "Why're you awake already? Did you have a nightmare?"

Raidou blinked in confusion, then turned his head on the pillow to look at him. A tender smile touched his lips.

"No. Nothing like that."

"Something's upsetting you. Have I done something...."

"No," Raidou said, a bit sharply. Genma blinked in confusion and Raidou sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm just.....look, I can't talk about it right now, but I promise you that we will. And soon. But I can't now."

Genma's stomach fell, and he was already running over all the possible things that could be the problem when warm fingers caressed his cheek softly.

"It's got nothing to do with us, Genma. You've done nothing wrong, and I'm not upset with you for anything."

Relived, Genma nodded, and reached to pull Raidou close. His lover obliged willingly, pillowing his head upon Genma's chest and wrapping his arm around his waist.

"Okay. I'll wait for as long as you need. Just.....whatever it is, don't let it eat at you so. I don't like seeing you like this."

"I didn't mean to worry you," Raidou murmured, pressing an apologetic kiss to Genma's chest.

"I'll always worry about you Raidou, no matter what you're doing."

"I think you're turning into Iruka," Raidou muttered. "You've got that whole mother hen thing going for you."

Genma grinned into Raidou's hair. "Does that mean Kakashi's going to be trying to get into my pants whenever we meet?"

Raidou raised his head to glare at Genma. "I'd like to see that pervert try. I'd kill him with my bare hands."

Genma grinned back, loving the possessive side of Raidou.

"As much as I'd love to watch you fight my battles babe, I don't think that's anything you have to worry about."

"It better not be."

Genma smiled as he pressed his face into Raidou's hair and breathed deeply. He shifted to position Raidou more comfortably against him, and then winced slighlty at the slight ache deep inside. It had been awhile since he'd had Raidou inside of him, and seeing as he didn't bottom as much as he used to for Raidou anymore, it was an ache which had been forgotten.

Nevertheless, it was a pleasant ache and one he savored. Both of their bodies were scattered with reminders of last night's activities. Raidou had several scratches scoring his back and sides, and Genma was covered with little bruises and red spots where Raidou had bitten and sucked, He had several fingerprints branding his hips and he admired them with smug satisfaction as he ran his fingers over the lightly scabbed scratches that Raidou sported.

He felt good, amazing even, and he knew that he didn't want to get out of bed yet. Carefully he pushed Raidou onto his back and settled his weight onto his lover. Raidou looked up at his with his arms up above his head and Genma framed his face with his hands, smiling down at him.

"You know, we could stay in bed today," he suggested with a devilish grin. "We've done it before."

Raidou smiled slightly up at him and laid a hand on his wrist, caressing slightly with his fingers and shifting his legs to accommodate Genma better.

"I can't. I have a mission to prepare for, and a meeting to get to."

"You could skip it. We've done that before too," he coaxed with a smile as he dropped his head and began to kiss and lick Raidou's neck slowly.

"Mmmm. We have too," Raidou replied distractedly. Genma frowned and nipped at the skin beneath his lips in reprimand. His lover's mind was definitely elsewhere, and he wasn't sure is he liked where it was. In fact, Raidou was borderline melancholy.

"Come on," he grinned. "You need to relax. I know of several ways we can...."

"Not now, Genma," Raidou said abruptly, pushing at him slightly and moving out from underneath him. Confused and a little put off, Genma rolled onto his side and watched as Raidou got up.

"Raidou?"

"I have to get ready. I have things that need to be done. You're not my only priority, Genma," Raidou said with his back to him.

* * *

Genma stood before Tsunade's desk waiting for her to stop glaring at him and start talking. Not that he'd like what she had to say, because he had a fair idea of why he had been summoned to her office in the first place.

He knew there would be some kind of consequence for yesterdays brawl, but even as he thought about it, and felt a surge of anger and possessiveness, he knew that he had done the right thing. When he'd taken care of that obnoxious nin, who had apparently been expressing an opinion that many shared, he had shown all those gossip mongers that he wouldn't tolerate anyone talking bad about his partner.

It had worked too, because according to the reports his friends had given him, a lot of the gossip and rumors had stopped. Apparently the worst of their critics had gotten the message. Those that hadn't seen a reason to bad mouth their relationships were seemingly impressed by the work he'd done. Indeed, the newly recruited know-it-all shinobi who had seen fit to argue with him had sported an array of interesting bruises in an assortment of colours. Genma couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of his handy work, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. It wasn't as if it hadn't been unjustified.

Tsunade finally looked up at him from the mission report, and ran her critical eyes over him. The mission leader had been obligated to put the altercation in his report, but Genma didn't blame him for that. It was inevitable that Tsunade hear about it, because to her, the working relationships between all Konoha shinobi was something that needed to be monitored closely.

"I hope you understand the seriousness of this, Genma. I can't ignore such behavior. When you're out there working missions, not only are you upholding your oath to protect and serve this village, you're promoting our image as well. And I must say, this does little to impress potential clients," Tsunade said, closing the folder and throwing it on her desk. "I can't let this go unpunished. As a result of your actions, you will be suspended from duties without pay for a week, and put on probation for a week following."

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

"I didn't put you back in missions to have all my hard work thrown back in my face, Shirunai. And I won't accept this. If it happens again, I can assure you that the punishment will be much, much worse."

"With all due respect...."

"I'm not finished yet. Furthermore, you will not leave Konoha until I say you can. You are to stay away from Yuki. I'll personally be selecting which missions you can accept until I see that you can properly control your emotions."

"Properly control my emotions? I can assure you...."

"Assure me what, Shirunai? That you're under control? Have you seen the face of the man you attacked? It doesn't speak to me of a man who's under control," she snapped at him.

"Can you blame me though? If you heard the things he said...." Genma protested his indignation and anger getting the better of him.

"I am very much aware of what took place. He has been given a warning. But _you_ attacked _him_! I'm beginning to think that I was wrong to put you back on active duty!"

"That's hardly....."

"Not another word, Genma! I will hear no more argument about this! Now get out before I change my mind about your punishment and ban you from active duty permanently!!" She shouted.

Genma paled, and stood there for a moment, unable to believe the severity of the punishment she had doled out to him. All this, over one little fight? Since when had anyone been punished so harshly for such a small thing? Normally, group dynamics were left alone to be worked out within a team, but this. This was ridiculous.

Furious and almost shaking at the injustice of it all, Genma stormed out of the office, and teleported out of there before he did something he'd really regret.

* * *

Raidou threw his weapons carelessly down onto the coffee table and discarded his muddy flak jacket in the laundry with a grunt of disgust.

All in all, it had been a shitty day; he'd been forced to sit through a three hour long meeting trying his very best not to fall asleep, then had been put through his paces in a surprise fitness assessment. Following that grueling experience, he had been sent on one of the most rotten low rank missions he'd ever had the misfortune of landing.

On his return home, he had heard by chance about the altercation that had taken place between Genma and the Hokage earlier that afternoon. Kakashi had stopped him on the streets to warn him that Genma was in a foul mood, and Raidou was not looking forward to dismantling his lover's anger even though it was something he usually did very well.

At the moment Genma was hyper aware of anything that went on around him, almost like a skittish animal. Ever since the....accident it was almost as if Genma was always on the alert, always watching for something that could hurt him. As if he was constantly on the ready to do battle again, to fight for his life as he had in those nightmarish hours during his captivity. Raidou hated it, and he would do anything to spare his partner and best friend the pain and insecurity he felt. And he wasn't the only one who had noticed the volatile state of Genma's emotions.

Tsunade's punishment of his actions had probably been blown out of proportion by Genma's mind. A perceived attack on himself had Genma lashing out in anyway he could to protect himself, and it was a reaction that worried Raidou to no end.

Raidou had showered and changed and was drinking a cup of strong black coffee when he heard the front door slam closed with a bang that made the walls shake.

Genma was home.

Sighing, Raidou wrapped his hands around the coffee mug and waited for the inevitable.

It was the swearing he heard first. Genma was always swearing, whether it was muttered beneath his breath in sullen tones, or murmured quietly into his ear as they made love, it always had the same effect on Raidou. Genma swearing was hot. And it never failed to make Raidou hunger for a taste of his lover.

He shook his head to clear it of the gathering haze of lust. Neither of them needed to fuck right now. Genma needed to be calmed down, and Raidou needed to hide his growing guilt and anxiety from his lover.

Genma moved into the living room like a caged panther pacing, full of suppressed rage and just waiting for a chance to attack.

"Bad day?" Raidou asked dryly, anticipating the dark glare that was thrown his way.

"That.....That woman!" he fumed. "She's put me on probation! She banned me from leaving Konoha!"

"Well..." Raidou began, but Genma wasn't listening.

"She's dressed me down like I'm some rookie! As if I know nothing about field work!" Genma snapped as he ripped off his hi-ate and ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up.

He should have known that Genma would have reacted this badly. He wasn't usually easy to stir to anger, but when he did, the explosion was always impressive. And Raidou was ashamed to say that the display he was witnessing now was a very big turn on for him.

"Look Genma, I don't think there's any point in getting worked up about this," Raidou told him, raising his voice to be heard over the tirade. "There's nothing that can be done to change it now, so I think that you just need to grin and bear it."

Genma scowled at him.

"Don't patronize me, Raidou! I don't need another person telling me what to do," he snapped.

Raidou was getting irritated himself, and didn't take too well to being spoken to as Genma just had. He glared right back and tried to keep a hold on his own temper. That seemed like all he was doing these days, trying to pacify Genma's frustrations and not giving vent to his own. It was making him stressed and a little bitter. But the last thing their relationship needed was an argument.

"Look, I'm just trying to help to make it easier for you. There's no need to..."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't need your help," Genma snapped back cruelly.

Raidou was taken back by this and not in the least bit hurt. His anger was like a sudden whiplash.

"Then what the hell have we been doing all this time, Genma! All I've been doing is mopping up after you, trying to make you happy and comfortable, and this is what I get for my efforts? All because one little thing went wrong, you're willing to take your anger out on me after everything?" Raidou shouted. "Well fuck you Genma. I don't need this shit from you! Stop being such a pig headed asshole and try looking at things from a different point of view for once!"

Throughout his own rant, Genma was staring at him, completely still and once he'd finished, he still said nothing. With a frustrated sigh, Raidou turned around and pulled his own hi-ate off, struggling to regain his lost equilibrium.

This was ridiculous. There was no point in standing there yelling at each other because they wouldn't get anywhere.

He was just about to leave the room when a hand grabbed his arm and held him still. Raidou tensed, not sure what to expect.

"You're right," Genma said quietly. "You're right and I'm sorry. I've been taking things out on you and you don't deserve that. Forgive me?"

Raidou turned to face him, and looked into his earnest eyes. Gone was most of the anger that had turned his lover into the very picture of a spitting cat, and in its place was the old Genma, boy like in his eagerness and open with his usual honesty.

At least that was something you could rely on with Genma. He was always honest about how he felt. There was no lying, no hiding his emotions and having to second guess him all the time.

Raidou sighed once more and nodded.

"Yeah. Me too," he mumbled, feeling slightly thrown off by the sudden change in direction.

Genma's mouth twitched.

"We're a pair of idiots, aren't we?"

"Speak for yourself."

Genma grinned outright and slid his hand around the back of his neck to pull him closer. Raidou felt a warm curl of heated desire start within the depths of his belly and begin to spread out from there as he pressed against the long length of his lover.

Genma ducked his head and brushed his lips against the pulse point in his neck. Raidou slid his arms around Genma, one arm around his waist and the other snaking up his back to tangle in the silky smooth hair.

He felt inexplicably worn out by Genma's swinging emotions, and even though the pure lust and desire was beginning to pulse throughout his body, the secret that he had sworn to keep was weighing heavily on his heart. It tore at the very soul of him, having to hide things from Genma, but he knew what they said was true; if he knew about the current crisis in Konoha then he'd undoubtedly rush off and get himself killed. Raidou would never be able to live without Genma.

Genma was his heart.

Genma's lips finally found their way to his, and Raidou automatically invaded the offered mouth. It was hot and wet and dirty, and he felt a desperation grip his soul. He needed consolation, and he needed Genma more than anything.

Genma pulled back slightly.

"Wanna fuck?" he mumbled against his mouth.

"Do you even have to ask?" Raidou groaned, pushing Genma back against the wall and started to work on the fastenings of their clothes.

When Genma dropped down onto his knees in front of him, Raidou leaned his head back and buried his hands in Genma's hair, closing his eyes and praying that everything would work out okay in the end.

* * *

Genma was in a much better mood as he lounged on the rooftop of the academy the next afternoon. Raidou had been called off to a short guard stint on the wall to finish off another shinobi's shift who had been called away for some reason or another.

He often liked to spend his free time on the roof of the academy. It was comforting and nostalgic listening to the young students talk and argue and learn. He loved to listen to Iruka teach, and often yell at some of the more unruly students.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was so big and blue, with fluffy white clouds wandering their way aimlessly across. The sun was warm on his skin, and he smiled at he remembered last nights argument.

Raidou had been truly pissed at him, and he'd had every right to be. Genma was too stubborn for his own good sometimes, and he knew it.

Still, it was such a heavy and unjust punishment that Genma had to wonder at the reasoning behind it. It was unprecedented to forbid anyone to stray from Konoha. It wasn't like they were embroiled in some war.

Unless they were still worried about his well being (which he doubted) there had to be some underlying reason for such a decision. People, especially shinobi's, were free to come and go as they pleased, unless they had some kind of criminal record.

Genma frowned now. Maybe it was time to do a bit of snooping. It wasn't as if he had anything pressing to do. His mind made up, Genma was getting to his feet when he caught sight of something beneath him. Crouching at the edge of the roof top, he watched as Nara Shikamaru and the blond Kyubbi boy hurried into his line of vision.

"Maaa, hurry up Shikamaru!" Naruto whined impatiently. "Tsunade-baa-chan will beat me blue if we're late for this meeting!"

"Are you sure we even have to be there?" Shikamaru grumbled. "It's not like it's going to matter to us if we skip it."

His interest piqued, Genma moved further along to edge of the roof in order to keep listening.

The blond boy grabbed Shikamaru's arm with a huff of impatience and started to drag him forcibly down the road.

"Baka! The Hokage said that it was a mandatory meeting for all shinobi. If I'm not there, she'll have my ass on a plate!"

"I still don't see why that matters to me...."

Confused, Genma sat down, a frown on his face as he pondered on what he had learned. A mandatory meeting that he wasn't aware of? Surely _someone _would have mentioned it to him. Maybe Naruto had gotten it wrong. Maybe it was mandatory for all genin to attend or something.

But being a shinobi like he was, Genma couldn't let the information go without further investigation. After all, a good shinobi looked underneath the underneath, and letting information pass by without fully understanding what it meant often led to swift death in the field.

Not liking the little niggling feeling residing in his stomach, Genma set off discreetly trailing the bickering boys.

The Hokage tower was looming up ahead, and Genma kept a safe distance from the boys in order to keep his presence a secret. Looking around though, he could see more shinobi approaching the tower, some in pairs or groups, and some alone. There were even a few Anbu he could spot, and Genma's confusion kept growing.

Like he had been trained to do, Genma blended with the crowd, making sure to avoid the people he knew and keeping to the back. He ended up in one of the massive meeting rooms on the lower floors of the building and the place was packed.

It wasn't hard finding a quieter, dark corner to settle in, where he had a good view of the room and was relatively shielded from the door.

The meeting room was tiered, like the classrooms at the academy, with one row of desks slightly higher than the one before it, all leading down to a large open space below where blackboards stood ready for whoever would be speaking. These rooms were commonly used for mission briefings for Jounin and Anbu alike.

When Tsunade herself entered the room with Shizune and the elders at her heels, Genma stood a little taller. A slow quiet fell over the crowded room, and Genma suddenly caught sight of Raidou sitting down the front with Aobi and Kotetsu.

He tried his best to ignore the flash of heated emotion that shot through his stomach, but it was hard to ignore his emotions when Raidou was involved. Genma had always been able to pick Raidou out in a crowded room, ever since their boyhood days.

Tsunade leaned against one of the tables at the front and surveyed the room with her sharp eyes. Genma shifted a little further into his shadowy corner, not ready to reveal his presence just yet. He breathed a little easier when her eyes skipped on over his hiding place.

"As some of you may be aware, a new threat had been identified that is aimed at all Konoha Shinobi," Tsunade said, her voice resounding clearly in the crowded room.

Genma frowned, confused. Surely he had been that isolated in his training and missions. Surely Raidou would have told him about it? Maybe he didn't know what it was. That had to be it.

"A group of nin, as of yet unidentified, has been attacking teams of Konoha Shinobi. The first person attacked was one Shirunai Genma, as many of you will know."

Genma went abruptly cold and rigid. Unidentified nin? It couldn't be. He had killed them when he had made his escape. He had made sure of it.

* * *

_"You will tell us what you know, Konoha scum," the masked man straightened, wiping Genma's blood off on a rag. _

_Genma could hardly think from the pain of his broken fingers, and the carefully placed cuts and burns that covered his body. Just catching his breath was hard enough and his mind was screaming at him for it to be over already, begging for some sort of release from the hell that his torturers were putting him through._

_"Nothing to say?" the man sneered as he stood over Genma's broken body. "I'll have you singing nice and loud soon enough..."_

_

* * *

  
_

"Two other teams have been attacked since then. Three people are dead and five more are in hospital. The situation has gotten past the point where we can pass it off as coincidental," Tsunade continued.

Genma struggled to throw off his memories and concentrate on her words.

"As of now, we're moving into a yellow alert stage. Our shinobi are being targeting for reasons that we don't know. All unnecessary missions that aren't situation around Konoha's territories shall be put on hold until we can ensure the safety of our teams. Until we have gathered more information on these people, Konoha will be closed to all outside traffic."

Tsunade surveyed the room once more, and it was easy to see that she was irritated and worried about the situation.

Genma hadn't heard a whisper of the problems plaguing their shinobi, and that in itself was enough to set his mind spinning with possibilities. Not one whisper of the trouble had reached his ears, and he couldn't help but wonder why. Surely _someone _around him had heard something of what was going on.

Tsunade had said that three people had died. Three Konoha nin had been murdered in cold blood by the very people he had thought he'd killed.

How could they possibly still be alive?

* * *

_Genma's hands trembled uncontrollably as he pulled his only kunai from the throat of the man who had tortured him ruthlessly for the past four days. The man had breathed his last breath, and he listened emotionlessly as the air gurgled from his ruined throat. Blood welled from him sluggishly and for a long moment, Genma stared down at the man, swaying dangerously where he stood and trying to control his shivering body. _

_He could feel the blood coating his hands, both his and his torturer's. _

_He was pretty sure that most of the bones in his hands were broken. His shoulders had been dislocated time and time again. He burns on his chest felt like they were down to the bone. _

_The only sound he could hear was the slow drip of blood from the tips of his fingers and his own labored breathing..._

_

* * *

  
_

"We will be taking volunteers to organize into reconnaissance missions over the next few days. For safety sake, we will only be taking Jounin for these missions, and you will be organized into teams of four or more. There are lists over by the door that you can put your names on."

Tsunde stood and closed her eyes.

"I don't think I need to tell you how serious this situation could be if we let it go on for much longer. All I can do is advice extreme caution to anyone thinking of travelling in the target areas. I'll let the elder's take over explaining the rest."

She stepped back, and Shizune began to whisper in her ear as the elder's began to talk, pointing to areas on a large map.

Genma zoned out of the lecture after that. He didn't need to hear more about the enemies' movements or their tactics. He knew them all, with intimate detail, and he shuddered to think what those other poor souls had suffered through before they'd died.

Hot anger rolled through his body slowly at the thought of those people still being alive. They had taken everything from him, and he had thought that he could move on and feel safe once more, knowing that they were dead.

Not so dead, as it turned out, and the very thought of that brought back all of that anger that he had thought he'd put aside. Now, he wanted revenge. He wanted to rip their throats out in retaliation for what they had done to him, and he didn't care what it took to do so. He would see them die at his hands, if it was the last thing he did.

It was one thing targeting a lone ninja returning from a long mission feeling tired and running low on chakra. It was another to take on a fully rested and angry Jounin.

He hadn't been on his toes then. He had thought he'd been safely out of the hot zone, and that he was home free. All he'd had to do was get back to Konoha and make his report. They'd come at him from the shadows on a moonless night, moving silent and deadly in the shadows. By the time he had realized he was cornered, it had been too late to do anything.

A poisoned dart had taken him down within moments. When he'd awoken, he'd been trussed up expertly inside a small hut with two rooms, cornered by five blood thirsty shinobi of indeterminate village.

He hadn't told them a thing during the four long days they'd held him captive. They had burned and cut and broken his bones, but he hadn't whispered a word of the information that he'd memorized from that scroll.

Fever had raged through his body late on the third night, and hunger made black spots dance in front of his vision. He had been weak and sick, and yet, he had managed to kill them and escape to stagger blindly through the forest in the vague direction that he knew Konoha lay in.

The two days following his escape were almost a blur. Genma had been delirious from fever and injury, barely able to walk let alone run.

* * *

_"No one is coming for you. No one knows you're even here. You're going to die here and you'll become just another shinobi missing in action."_

_"M-maybe..." Genma choked out, struggling weakly against the stranglehold the man behind had him in. "But I'll d-die before I te-tell you anything, a-asshole!"_

_The masked man in from of him leaned forward, and pressed the glowing kunai onto the skin of his chest once more. Genma screamed, kicking out and twisting feebly in an attempt to get away from the searing pain._

_"I think that can be arranged for you, dog of Konoha...."_

_

* * *

  
_

The room was starting to clear, but groups of shinobi still hung around in clusters, some by the door where administrators were standing with the clipboards for people to sign their names onto.

Genma caught sight of Raidou once more, standing near Shizune and Tsunade, talking in low tones. A cold knot of dread and anger weighed down in his stomach at the implications of what he had learned.

They had deliberately kept the information from him. That was what Raidou had been hiding from him. The very man whom he had trusted with his heart had been hiding something that he knew would matter to Genma. The fact that his _best friend_ hadn't thought him worthy of the truth had him so angry he wanted to destroy something.

He approached them quietly, noting cynically that they were too wrapped up in their conversation to notice until he was standing right behind Raidou.

"...I don't think it's a good idea to be sending shinobi out just yet," Raidou was saying. "We just don't have enough Intel on them yet to risk losing more teams...."

"Maybe that's something I can help you with," Genma stated quietly, watching as Raidou turned with wide eyes to look at him.

He didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone, but there was no mistaking the storm of anger and hurt that he felt. As he stared into Raidou's eyes, he wondered how things could be so royally fucked up between them. Genma had thought that once he and Raidou had gotten together, everything would be easy, everything would be simple.

Genma had been wrong.

TBC in part two

_**Author's Note: **__I finally got around to writing the last story of this series. It's been a long time coming, and I thought I'd get it finished as one longer story. I hope this has lived up to you expectations, and that you enjoyed reading. Please don't be afraid to let me know what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **The characters and concepts of Naruto belong to their rightful owner. I own nothing and make no profit from this work of fiction.

**Warnings: **Dark themes, including torture. Swearing and yaoi (man x man). Please don't read if you're sensitive to this kind of thing.

**Author's Note: **Last story of the unravelled series. This part is longer than I expected it to be! I originally intended to only write two parts in the last installment but once I started writing I couldn't stop. I'm thinking of making it three parts. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think

* * *

_**Weapon**_

_**Part Two**_

Raidou stared at Genma with a sick feeling in his stomach. The game was up, and he hadn't wanted to lose the way that he just had.

Genma, his childhood friend and ally, his comrade in arms and his only love, had just learned that Raidou was a lying bastard. The feeling that gave him wasn't pleasant at all and he'd give his right arm and leg to see that cold look on his friends face disappear.

He'd known, going into this, that it wouldn't end well. Things that involved Genma seldom did, if the downhill slide that had become the man's life was anything to go by. The moment the Hokage had told him what was going on and then swiftly forbidden him to say anything to his partner about it, Raidou had foreseen just how big of a wedge it would drive between them.

It made him feel sick and his heart ached for the pain he was causing Genma.

Genma moved his eyes at last from Raidou's and swept over Tsunade and Shizune.

"Shirunai, what are you doing here?" Tsuande said, after the tense moment had abated somewhat.

Raidou couldn't say a thing if his life depended on it. His tongue felt swollen and useless in his mouth, and his throat felt as if someone was choking him. It seemed like his words had completely deserted him. Not that there was much he could say faced with such a situation. He couldn't exactly fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness from his lover in front of everyone.

"I saw a commotion and came to see what was going on," Genma replied slowly, not looking at Raidou. "Seems there's a whole lot more going on than I thought."

"There are reasons I didn't want you to know about this, Genma," Tsuande told him calmly. For once, her own volatile temper was held in check and she seemed remarkably calm in the face Genma's anger.

"I'm sure there are," Genma answered. "I want to be on the team."

"No," Tsunade said immediately. "It's too dangerous, especially for you."

"I don't care. It's my fault those bastards are still alive and hurting people. It's my fault our shinobi are dead. I intend to rectify that," Genma insisted.

Raidou's mind was screaming at him to intervene. It was too dangerous for Genma, and there was way too much at stake. He felt the need for revenge himself, and he intended to sign up for the teams, but he didn't want Genma going.

For one thing, he had too many unresolved anger issues to deal with. Such emotions in the middle of battle were vulnerability, and Raidou wanted Genma to stay safe and to stay alive.

But again, he couldn't seem to form the words to reason with Genma. He needed to talk his best friend down, but the surprise of Genma's appearance had sent his mind into some kind of numbing shock.

"And how is it _your _fault they killed our people? What could you possibly have done when you were in that condition?" Tsunade had her arms crossed, and that determined glint in her eye that told of her readiness for a fight. "You could barely move enough to get your ass out of there."

"I _killed_ them! I know I did. Their blood was on my hands. I drove the Kunai through his throat for fuck's sake!" Genma hissed. "It doesn't make any sense that they're still alive. I killed them!"

Tsunade regarded Genma for a long moment, her lips pursed. Shizune was looking for Tsunade to Genma, biting her lip with worry in her eyes. Raidou couldn't do anything more than watch.

He was useless.

"It's true that you have information that could prove vital," she conceded at last. "If you're willing, I'll have some people question you for what you know. But for now, go home Genma. I have things I need to organise."

She turned away, but Genma stepped forward.

"I still want to be on the team."

"I'll think about it." Tsunade tossed over her shoulder as she walked away.

Genma and Raidou were left alone, and he could do nothing but stare at Genma's back. For a moment, they were all alone in the crowded mission room, and an uneasy silence existed between them.

The moment passed and Genma turned towards the door.

"Genma..." Raidou blurted in a panic, unsure of what he wanted to say.

His friend wouldn't even turn to look at him. His shoulders were tense and his posture closed off; Genma was practically radiating anger and a strong 'don't touch me' vibe.

"Genma, can we at least talk about this?" Raidou asked softly, wanting desperately to look into those honey coloured eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Genma and bury his face in his soft, soft hair. Raidou wanted to hold that strong, lean body in his arms and reassure himself that he was still alive, and that he really was in Raidou's life still.

Those bastards hadn't killed him, they hadn't tortured him to death; nothing could defeat Genma, though it had been close several times.

"I have nothing to say to you right now," Genma lowered his head for a moment. "Just....leave me alone for awhile, okay? Just give me that, at least."

And then all Raidou could do was stare at his back as Genma walked away from him and disappeared out the door.

* * *

Raidou was almost sick with worry, but he forced himself to keep his distance for Genma as he had requested. He hadn't done much right for his lover recently, and he had a deep seated fear that he had screwed it up badly enough that Genma wouldn't be able to forgive him.

He'd known, going into this relationship thing, that he was lousy at it. He'd even told Genma that on several occasions.

But it had been so easy with Genma. They'd always gotten along well, always bickering over something, bouncing ideas and insults off each other as easily as they breathed. They'd had each other's backs since childhood, and they each knew that down to their bones.

But the love aspect that Genma had introduced into their friendship had changed things in little ways that hadn't seemed significant at the time, but made the world of difference in the long run.

Raidou knew he was a screw up and his relationship with Genma was just another failure to add to a long and growing list. He didn't deserved Genma, and he had lost him so soon after they had begun.

It wasn't fair; fate seemed to dislike him or something, because he never could get things in his life to work the way they should.

He had lost people he cared about, friends, family and loved ones. He had seen things that chilled him to his bones and haunted his dreams. He had trained hard and fought hard, and in his mind it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, most of his memories were tainted with the dull feeling of disappointment and unworthiness.

Genma had been one of the bright spots in his life, and he had gone and screwed that up royally. Raidou sighed quietly to himself.

It was autumn in Konoha, and as usual, the skies were heavy with the threat of rain and bad weather.

Raidou stood at the grave marker of his sensei and wondered just when he had lost control of his life.

A frigid wind tugged at his clothes, and Raidou smelled the heavy scent of rain in the air. It would start to pour any minute, but he didn't feel a desire to return to the apartment he shared with Genma.

He was a coward, he knew that. But Genma had requested space, and he had no idea where he was. Although he was pretty sure he wouldn't be at their home, he didn't want to risk it.

Raidou traced the letters of his sensei's name with his eyes.

It had almost been Genma's gravestone marked in the same cemetery where he presently stood. That very thought made him almost paralysed with fear, and he shivered as another gust of wind ripped at his clothes.

Raidou wasn't afraid to go out there and face the men who had hurt Genma. He wanted vengeance, and he wanted to stop them with all of his heart, and he was more than willing to sacrifice himself for the cause.

No, he wasn't afraid to face them in battle. But he was afraid of what would happen to Genma if he was allowed to go.

There wasn't anything he could do to help Tsunade make up her mind, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Genma was his own person, and he had his own battles to fight.

Raidou couldn't protect him forever, especially when he didn't want to be protected.

A fat raindrop landed on his shoulder, and he turned his face up to the sky, closing his eyes as the heavens opened and the rain started to pound down on the thirsty earth.

"What would you do in my position, sensei?" he asked out loud.

His only reply was the sound of the rain and the lonely howling of the wind.

* * *

The apartment was dark and silent when Raidou returned soaking wet and tired. He closed the door quietly behind him and kicked off his sodden sandals.

His Jounin jacket and his shirt were dropped in a pile by the front door. Raidou shivered slightly in the cool air of the apartment as he moved towards the kitchen.

Standing in front of the open fridge door staring at the left over's in their containers didn't accomplish anything, but he found himself doing it anyway.

The weather still howled out its fury outside, and he had no idea what to do for dinner. He wasn't particularly hungry, and he had no desire to eat alone in the dark.

"Raidou."

Swallowing his instinctive yelp, he slammed the fridge door shut and whirled around in one smooth move, turning to face the source of the voice and pressing a hand to his pounding heart.

"Shit, Genma."

A lamp clicked on in the adjourning living room, and Raidou took some much needed gulps of air.

"Sorry," Genma shrugged, and Raidou frowned as he looked his friend over.

He was acting remarkably calm and collected, considering. His eyes glittered in the low lighting, intense with some emotion Raidou was too far away to read, but at least he wasn't shouting and throwing things as he had expected him to.

"How long have you been here?" Raidou asked, in lieu of having anything better to say.

"A little while."

Swallowing down the guilt and pain at how closed off Genma was acting, Raidou nodded and turned away to get a glass of water. He stood at the sink, turned away from Genma as he drank his water.

"So that's how it's going to be between us from now, Raidou?" Genma asked, sharply.

Raidou could hear him moving closer but didn't have the courage to face him.

"Are you so ashamed that you can't even look me in the eye anymore?"

"How do you want me to act, Genma?" Raidou asked, setting his glass down. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to look me in the eyes for starters," Genma replied, a hard edge to his voice that spoke to Raidou of the anger he was holding in check.

Sighing almost silently, he turned around and leaned back against the counter before crossing his arms and staring at Genma.

He had always taken Genma's good looks for granted before they had gotten together. The man was so casual and laid back most of the time, that whenever he was angry or irritated it completely transformed his face. His eyes sparked fire, his cheeks sported angry colour and his brow furrowed in a way that shouldn't be attractive but was.

"How long did you know?"

Raidou knew that Genma would have questions. There was no more reason to lie to him now that the cat was out of the bag, but that didn't make telling the truth any easier either. He'd had enough of lies and half truths though, and if Genma was going to risk his life recklessly, then there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"A couple of weeks ago. Tsunade told me when the first team was found," he answered, not moving his gaze from Genma's animated face. "Shizune's team found them near the border."

"And all this time, you said nothing to me? You acted as if you had no idea."

There was no mistaking the accusation in his voice. Raidou was heartsick, and he really didn't need Genma rubbing his mistakes in his face, even if he did deserve it. He knew how it was going to end anyway, and he'd hoped that Genma would be able to see through the anger to the real reason why he hadn't been able to tell him anything.

"I couldn't, Genma," he said simply. "Tsunade-sama ordered me to...."

"I would have thought that wouldn't have mattered when it came to us, Raidou. I would have thought you'd trusted me enough by now."

"I'm sorry."

And it was true, he was sorry. But there was also the duties he had to the village and to the Hokage, and he'd been raised as a shinobi of Konoha. Defying orders was something that didn't come easily to him, especially when he could see the sense behind them.

"I am sorry," he continued when Genma didn't say anything further. "But you'll forgive me for not wanting you to rush off and get yourself killed out of some misplaced sense of guilt for the people who have died."

"You really think I'm that reckless?" Genma asked, entering their little kitchenette.

"Not reckless, no. Angry," Raidou replied. "I didn't want you getting yourself killed. Is that so bad?"

"You could have had faith in my ability to know what's right and wrong."

"I said I was sorry. I can't do anything more than that," Raidou said helplessly. "I didn't want to hurt you or betray your trust. I only ask your forgiveness."

"Only?" Genma snorted. "That's all? That's just like you Raidou, giving up before you've even started to fight for something you want."

"Are you calling me a coward?" Raidou straightened at that, anger sparking somewhere in the depths of his chest. "After everything we've been through, you're calling me a coward?"

"I'm not the one who turned his back on what we have as soon as you learn about something I wouldn't like. You're the one who doesn't have enough faith in me to trust me to make the right decision for both of us." Genma said, his voice low and sharp as he approached.

Raidou narrowed his eyes at Genma, trying to control his own temper. It wasn't as if he had wanted to do this to Genma. He hadn't done any of it by choice.

"You can attack me all you want Genma. Call me names, call me a coward. But it doesn't change the fact that I was only doing my job. I was following orders," He said as he lowered his crossed arms. "Maybe that's something you should think about before you go charging off to get yourself killed for no reason."

"You have no idea what I'm going to do, Raidou," Genma snapped. "Don't act as if you know everything about me!"

Raidou smiled at him sadly.

"No. I don't suppose I ever will, huh? After all, no one can stop you from doing what you want, can they? No one can make Shirunai Genma do something that he doesn't want to. That's the way it's always been, hasn't it? You lead, I follow."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Raidou."

"Maybe if you stopped and thought about it for awhile, you would."

"This is pointless. Why are you acting as if I'm the one who's done the wrong thing here? You're the one who lied to me!"

"And I already apologized for that. What else can I do? You want me to beg? Would that make you feel any better?"

"Shut up, Raidou." Genma was in front of him now, gripping his arms tightly and shaking him a little. "Just shut up."

They stared at each other for several minutes. Raidou didn't know what to say to him, and he had no idea how to make it right again. Genma was the one who needed to forgive him for what he had done, and Raidou had no idea how to go about earning that forgiveness.

The only thing he could do was give him time and space to sort out his feelings and to calm down. There was only so much they could achieve by trying to force the other to see the different perspectives of a situation.

If there was one thing he had learned during the course of his life, it was that understanding came with time. Experience was what kept a shinobi alive in the field, and that only came from hard earned lessons in battle. Blood sacrificed and blood taken was the quickest and sternest teacher one could have.

Sighing, he stepped away from Genma and the man let him go without a fight.

"I'll get my things."

He made his way to their shared bedroom, trying to push aside the ache in his chest and the pain in his heart. This was what he needed to do. He needed Genma to sort himself out and figure out how he felt about him, and he sure as hell knew that Genma couldn't do that with him hovering around, not when every time he laid eyes on Raidou the betrayal and anger was renewed.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?" Genma demanded from behind him. "Where are you going?"

"I'll go stay with Izumo and Kotetsu. You don't want me hovering around here do you?"

Genma said nothing to that, and so after a moment of silence, he turned away with a heavy heart.

He threw some clothes and weapons into a bag. Instead of going back out there to see Genma once more, he opened the window and crouched on the sill for a long moment, hanging his head.

Genma was right; he was a coward.

* * *

"I take it things aren't going so well with Genma then?" Iruka asked quietly, placing his clipboard down on the desk.

Raidou tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. He was leaning next to his friend in the mission room waiting for Tsunade to make her morning appearance.

It hadn't been a good night. He'd lain awake on Izumo's couch for most of it, unable to keep his mind off of Genma at all. He missed his warmth wrapped around him at night, missed the way he smelled, the softness of his hair, his quirky, dry sense of humour.

But most of all he missed having Genma at his side.

Raidou didn't know what to do. He was honour bound to follow orders given by the village and the Hokage. He was also bound by love and obligation to his partner, and deciding which to follow and which to break was an impossible decision that he just wasn't strong enough to make. It saddened him greatly that Genma couldn't see that. Even though he knew Genma's anger and hurt were completely understandable, he knew there wasn't anything he could do to make Genma see _why _he had done what he had.

They were at an impasse it seemed, and it seemed insurmountable.

Still, he knew without a doubt that where Genma went, he would follow. No one had Genma's back like he did, and he loved the man too much to just let him charge off into battle without someone to back him up. No matter what happened between them, that would never change

"No. Not so well," he murmured.

"I'm sure he'll come around," Iruka offered with a smile. "He's not an unreasonable man. He just needs time to cool off."

It was true that Genma wasn't an unreasonable man. In fact, he was an incredibly intelligent and astute person. But he wasn't sure Genma would see reason when he was hell bent on revenge on the people who had tortured him near to death. Hell, the very thought of those people filled Raidou with helpless rage but he had weighed up the pros and cons of the situation and come up with the only solution. He would go on the mission to serve Konoha and to ensure that no one else got hurt as Genma had.

No one else had to die.

The door slammed open and Tsunade marched in, her eyes scanning the room before they settled on Raidou.

"There you are. Genma has agreed to go along with our questioning," she said. "I thought you should be there."

Raidou straightened in surprise.

Genma didn't talk about what had happened to him. Whenever anyone had tentatively asked something about it, he had shut them down briskly and so completely that they didn't bother to try again. He had opened up somewhat to Raidou, sometimes surprising him with bits and pieces of information, but beyond that Raidou didn't know much about what had happened, though he supposed he knew slightly more than everyone else.

That Genma had volunteered to submit to an investigative questioning was something that had come completely out of left field and smashed into him like a fist.

"Raidou?"

He blinked at her for a moment before gathering his composure.

"I'm not entirely sure he'd want me there, Hokage-sama," he said slowly, trying to be as neutral as possible.

She eyed him speculatively once more.

"Not getting along?"

He shook his head wordlessly. Not getting along was a bit of an understatement in his book, but he knew better than to point that out to their temperamental leader. He and Genma were getting along like cats and dogs, only more explosively.

"Well, it might interest you to know that Genma requested that you be there," Tsunade continued, as Radiou gaped as her in astonishment. "Not in the same room, of course. But he wanted you there. I'm not about to deny him that small measure of comfort considering the kind of thing he's about to relive."

She paused then and shot him another sharp look.

"Are you?"

He snapped to attention.

"Of course not!" he replied automatically, somewhat offended that she'd think he'd leave his best friend and lover like that.

She smiled minutely at him then and turned back towards the door.

"Good. Follow me."

The Hokage tower was a maze of hallways and rooms and chambers that one could get lost in if they didn't know the building. Raidou suspected that the people who had designed it had done that intentionally, as an attempt to make it a little harder for would be assassins and ambushers to find where the Hokage was at.

The building itself extended deep under ground, where large libraries of scrolls, texts and artefacts were stored, carefully maintained by shinobi with top secret clearance. Some of the information held in those scrolls were forbidden and protected by deadly traps and jutsu's. Raidou himself had never spent much time down there, but he knew Genma had.

That man had a penchant for poisons that was frankly a little disturbing. He was always reading the weirdest shit on how to make new ones, or how to neutralise known ones, or how to _invent_ poisons that hadn't yet been thought of. The depth of Genma's dedication to his art of poison was something that Raidou wouldn't go near with a ten foot pole. Some of the things he knew were scary even to him, a fully trained battle hardened Jounin.

But just above these storage areas were holding cells and interrogation rooms. While prisoners weren't actually held in the tower, some times they needed to be questioned closer to where the Hokage was for matters of convenience.

It upset him a little that they were questioning Genma in an interrogation room; that kind of environment would hardly be productive for the kind of memories Genma would be recalling.

A hard knot had formed in the pit of his stomach, and thick nausea threatened to choke him. While he would be there because Genma had asked it of him, it didn't mean he was happy to have to hear the kinds of things they would be discussing. He wasn't sure he could stomach listening to the horrors that Genma had been subjected to, but he would. For Genma's sake, he would be strong.

"Don't look so worried," Tsunade said, shooting him a look over her shoulder. "This is just a standard debriefing. We're going to make sure we cause him as little distress as possible, considering the circumstances."

"Then he could pull out at any time?" Raidou asked, a little doubtful of this.

"He can," she confirmed.

She was quiet for a moment.

"I am not a young person, Raidou," she said slowly, her voice quieter than it had been before, echoing in the shadows of the hallway. "I have lived a lot longer than most Shinobi ever do. I have seen things that I would rather forget. I have seen what torture does to people, and I have seen the people who create such torture techniques."

Raidou knew that of course, but he had never heard her speak of it before. There was much rumour surrounding their Sannin Hokage, and it was sometimes difficult to know what was true and what wasn't.

Tsunade didn't make it any easier. She gave nothing away and played her cards close. In some ways, it was necessary in a leader, in other ways it was a disadvantage. Tsunade though, she had it down to a fine art.

She tempered her defensiveness with a compassion and kindness that were often hard to see underneath blunt words and a straightforward way of thinking.

"I've seen the way survivors are changed by what was done to them, and to the people they love. It eats away at them and it blinds them to things that are obvious to others," Tsunade continued. "Genma hasn't talked much to anyone about what happened, am I right?"

Raidou nodded silently.

"This could be good for him. He needs to…exorcise his demons, as it were. Get things off his chest," she stopped outside a door at the end of the hallway. "In light of that, I need to know that you won't interrupt the questioning, no matter what he says or does. If he wants to stop, then that's fine but I won't have you interrupting something that could be vital to this mission. If you can't handle it, then you'd best leave now. Am I understood?"

He straightened as she stared at him.

"I understand. And I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded and turned back to the door, her hand resting on the handle for a moment.

"It's good that he has you, Raidou. He needs your support now more than ever."

"Are you going to let him go on the mission, Hokage-sama?" he asked quietly, waiting with baited breath.

She exhaled almost silently.

"That depends on what we learn here today. In any case, he'll have my answer by this evening when I draw up the squadron lists. Okay?"

"Okay."

The room Tsunade had led him to wasn't an interrogation room to Raidou's relief. Instead, it was more like a reading room. One of the walls was see through, and looked into the next room, which was empty except for a table and two chairs.

Genma was sitting in there with his hands clasped and resting on the table. His head was lowered and his hair obscured most of his face.

"He can't see us," Tsunade told him. "The wall is under an illusion to look solid from that side."

Raidou nodded mutely, staring at his friend with a pain in his heart unlike any other. Genma was completely still, almost as if he were a statue but Raidou knew that his mind was racing beneath that emotionless façade.

The room they were in wasn't unoccupied. Ikibi stood in one corner, with Shizune next to him. An Anbu captain he didn't recognise was there as well, but Raidou paid them no heed.

"Who's going to be questioning him?"

Tsunade spared him a look.

"No one he knows," she murmured. "It's easier to speak to a complete stranger sometimes."

Raidou could understand that all too well. If it had happened to him, he wouldn't want to subject those kinds of horrors on anyone he knew either.

He watched as a plain, non-descript man entered the room quietly and took a seat opposite Genma. Radiou didn't know the man either, but that was probably a good thing.

"Quote your name, serial number and rank, if you please."

"Shirunai Genma, 4532891, Special Jounin," Genma intoned emotionlessly, not moving a muscle.

"We'll get this done as quickly as possible Shirunai-sam. Please answer my questions to the best of your ability. If you can't answer, then please say so."

The shinobi opened the plain manila folder he had carried in with him, and there was a brief pause as he scanned the contents.

No doubt it was the mission report that someone had written down as soon as Genma had been able to dictate it from his hospital bed, as well as medical reports and paperwork from the initial mission request.

"Tell me about the mission you were assigned."

"S-Class mission, assigned by Umino Iruka at the mission desk."

"You requested that mission, correct?" The nameless shinobi looked up from the papers.

"I requested an S-Class mission," Genma corrected slowly.

Raidou clearly remembered that day. He remembered seeing Genma across the room, remembered the hollow look in his eyes. Raidou remembered the hollow look in his eyes as he turned away…

"Any particular reason you requested an S class mission?"

Genma paused, as if he were mulling through the options of how to answer that and not give away the fact that Raidou had broken his heart.

"No particular reason, no," Genma said at last.

"I urge you to answer truthfully, Shirunai-san."

Genma's head jerked up and he levelled a formidable glare at the shinobi. It almost made Radiou smile at the defiance in his expression.

"I took the mission because I wanted it. How is that relevant to what happened?" he demanded.

Raidou silently agreed; it wasn't relevant, and Genma was under no obligation to answer any of the man's questions. He was there of his own free will, volunteering information that he hadn't revealed in the long months since his return.

"Hmm. Let's continue shall we? What happened during the mission? Anything unusual?"

Genma was staring at his hands once more, but Raidou could see his face this time. His mouth was slanted down unhappily, and his eyes had that far away look he got whenever he was remembering something particularly unpleasant.

"The mission went smoothly. A simple break and enter, memorize the contents of the scroll, leave before anyone noticed I was even there."

"Did anyone see you?"

"No. There was no one. I made sure of it."

"Nobody followed you out of the village?" the man questioned, rifling through the folder.

"I would have noticed if they had," Genma had that stubborn set to his chin that meant he wasn't going to back down and start doubting himself. "I set traps behind me, quiet ones that wouldn't alert anyone else to my path. I back tracked and doubled back to make sure that I would throw off any pursuers. There's no way any one followed me back from that village."

"What happened next?" the shinobi asked with infuriating patience and neutrality.

"It was three days journey back to Konoha," Genma answered eventually, exhaling slowly as he sat back in his chair.

His arms were crossed now and his shoulders hunched slightly, as if even now he was protecting himself from danger. Genma was so tense, the lines around his mouth and eyes betraying just how tightly strung he was.

Raidou glanced at Tsunade, who was frowning slightly.

"You'll stop it if..." he began to ask tentatively.

"I will," she said curtly, cutting him off. "I have no intention of letting this drag out for longer than it has to."

Raidou nodded resignedly and turned back to his study of Genma. Regardless of her reassurances, he would be in that room in a heartbeat if he thought Genma had had enough.

"I was tired and I knew the information I had learned was important to Konoha. I didn't stop to take any breaks," Genma continued slowly, as if he was having trouble getting the words out.

That had been a mistake, Raidou knew. It was important for Shinobi to take at least short breaks to keep alert and keep going when they needed to. But sometimes that wasn't possible, especially when one was carrying important information, or when they were being pursued.

"They came at me out of nowhere," Genma said tightly. "They ambushed me. I was more concerned about someone following me so I didn't consider the possibility that someone would be waiting for me."

Genma stopped then, his jaw clenching. Raidou could see his hands tighten where they gripped his biceps.

"It was dark and there was no moon. I couldn't...couldn't..." Genma stopped then and didn't continue.

"Take your time, Shirunai-san," The shinobi said kindly. "Would you like some water?"

Genma shook his head.

"Please continue when you're ready."

"They'd taken me down before I even realized what was happening. I must have hit my head because I don't remember much after that. I think they drugged me."

"There were traces of drugs in your system when you were admitted to Konoha hospital, yes," the shinobi confirmed.

Genma only nodded in response.

"Do you remember anything from your time in captivity?"

Genma gave a bitter laugh. "Do you want to know how they half drowned me trying to get me to talk? Or how they burnt me with red hot Kunai? Or perhaps how they broke my fingers one by one?"

"Please, Shirunai-san. You know I have to ask these questions."

"Yeah I know."

He had never heard such a bitter tone in Genma's voice before. Maybe this whole thing had been affecting Genma more than he had let on. Genma was good at hiding things, he had always known that. But just how much had he been keeping from Raidou?

It was a startling revelation, and not a particularly pleasant one. It made him angry and furiously helpless. Most of it was directed at himself. Had he been so blind that he hadn't seen just how much the most important man in his life had been struggling?

It was a sickening thought, and it only made him hate himself more. He wasn't strong enough to help Genma, and he was a foolish man for believing everything had been fine.

"Start with what you remember first, if you can. Remember that you can stop this at any time you want."

"I can't though, can I? Our people are dying out there. A whole squad is dead because of this," Genma snapped at him. "What kind of coward would I be if I wasn't able to face a simple questioning?"

"No one thinks you're a coward, Shirunai-san. Please continue when you're ready."

Raidou noticed that the man's hand hadn't stopped moving over his notepad whilst the exchange had taken place, and he frown with distaste. The man's lack of emotion was starting to grate on his nerves, and he wondered if he should have volunteered to do the questioning himself.

He doubted Genma would want to talk to him though, after everything he had done.

"What do you remember first?"

"I woke up in a small cabin. From what I remember, it was a hunter's hut, up in the mountains. It had two rooms. I was kept in the dark most of the time, so I couldn't tell you much about the place. And when I was awake, well...there wasn't much time for observation if you get my meaning."

The shinobi nodded.

"Is there anything you can tell me about your captors, Shirunai-san?"

"There were....four I think," Genma had lowered his head again, and his eyes were closed as he thought about it.

"I never did see their faces. They wore masks and covered their hair. They never spoke to each other whenever they were around me. The only speaking they did was to ask me questions so I never learned any of their names."

"Damn," Tsunade swore softly.

Raidou glanced at her quizzically.

"They were professionals," she explained with a ferocious scowl. "These are the kind of people who live solely to torture for information."

Raidou swallowed his growing nausea and looked back at his friend. He was no stranger to torture. Hell, he'd had a few run-ins with enemies before, but never professional torturers. He'd never been subjected to the horrors that Genma had been.

"The fact that he got out of there alive is a miracle in itself," Ibiki said, moving forward to stand next to Raidou. "Most people would be dead within a day or two. But Genma held out for days, and still managed to escape alive. I've only met a few people who've done that before, myself included. He must have an iron will."

"He is stubborn," Raidou managed with a humourless smile. "What I don't understand is how they're still alive? Genma said he killed them and I believe him."

"Let's listen and find out shall we?" Tsunade suggested grimly, her eyes locked on Genma.

"Are you able to tell us anything else about your Captors?" the nameless Shinobi asked.

Genma shook his head wordlessly.

"You know that different countries use different ways to extract information from their subjects. What can you tell us about the techniques they used on you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Raidou protested.

"Quiet Raidou, or you'll have to leave," Tsunade said sharply, throwing him a pointed glare.

He subsided reluctantly, and forced himself to pay attention once more, unsure of how much more he could stand to hear.

"The first day they beat me. I can't say how long they were at it for," Genma's voice had taken on a hoarse quality that was tearing at Raidou's heart. "Can't say that I took much notice of anything except getting the pain to stop. That's the day they broke the fingers of my right hand. Got a couple of ribs too."

Raidou's hands were clenched so hard his nails were cutting into his flesh but he didn't care. All he cared about was sitting in that room reliving some of the worst memories of his life.

"When they finally stopped they threw a bucked of water over me to wash away the blood and vomit. I was mostly unconscious when they threw me back into the dark room. They dragged me out at dawn and stripped me half naked. Then they strapped my arms to a plank and began to dunk me into a trough of water and held me down so I couldn't fight."

"Using water…Could be a hidden mist technique," Ibiki murmured from beside Raidou.

Tsunade merely hummed her acknowledgement.

"What happened after that?"

"Then they broke the fingers in my left hand. When they got tired of that they found a garrotte..."

"Fuck," Raidou closed his eyes and hung his head, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Don't look away," Ibiki mutter to him. "He deserves respect for what he survived through, not your pity. At least give him what he's due."

Raidou would have been angry at him had he not been hurting so badly.

"...they'd choke me until I was half unconscious, then ask me questions. When I didn't answer them, they'd do it all over again. I didn't....look, do you need all the gruesome details?" Genma demanded all of a sudden. "Do you really need to know all of this? I fail to see how this is relevant to the mission!"

"Do you need a break, Shirunai?" the shinobi asked, looking up from his writing.

Genma said nothing.

"I'm calling it," Tsunade said in the silence. "We'll take a five minute break here."

She turned to face Raidou.

"Perhaps he could use some moral support? I think he could use a friendly face," she said meaningfully, inclining her head to where Genma sat hunched over the desk, his head resting on the table.

Raidou swallowed and nodded and Tsunade turned away to confer with Ibiki.

He left the room slowly, forcing his body to move. It felt like he was trying to move underwater, as if a great weight were constricting his limbs.

He opened the door to the interview room and gestured the nameless shinobi to leave the room. To his credit, the man nodded briskly and gathered up his file before moving past Raidou and closing the door behind himself.

For a long moment Raidou had no idea what to say. Genma hadn't looked up when he'd entered and he could see the minute tremors that were shaking the mans frame.

"I thought I'd put all of this behind me, you know?" Genma said suddenly. "I thought I'd moved on. But I'm starting to think that maybe I've just been ignoring it this whole time."

Raidou swallowed thickly and moved a few steps closer.

"I don't think it's the kind of thing that you can just move on from," he managed, hating how raw his voice sounded. "I think...I think it's the kind of thing that you're going to struggle with for a long time. You just...have to learn how to live with it."

Genma rolled his head towards Raidou and opened his eyes. A small, humorless smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and it made Raidou pathetically glad to see it there.

"When did you get so wise, huh?"

Raidou managed a smile of his own and closed the distance between them, crouching down at his side and gripping his shoulder.

"I've always been wise, Genma. You just never shut up long enough to realise," Raidou smiled at him shakily.

A startled laugh broke free from Genma, and it ended in a sad sigh.

"When did we get so fucked up?" he whispered. "I never wanted..."

Raidou moved his hand to the nape of Genma's neck, knowing that this was important. He needed to show Genma that he could be strong for the both of them. No matter how screwed up things were between them, they were still a united force to be reckoned with.

"I know, Genma. Don't worry about us now. We'll work it out. Just...concentrate on getting this over and done with, yeah?" he murmured, pressing his forehead to the side of Genma's head. "I'll take you out and we'll get roaring drunk. Or we can go for sweets and ice-cream after. Whatever you want. How does that sound?"

Genma had relaxed a little, and he'd stopped trembling at least, and that was something.

"Like heaven." Genma paused. "I'm glad you came, Raidou. It helps, knowing that you're near."

Raidou gave him a full smile this time.

"How could I leave you when you need me the most? Idiot," he whispered, brushing his lips subtly against the side of Genma's neck. "I'll always be near, Genma."

"You know...you know that the same goes for me, right Raidou?" Genma asked, fear clear in his voice. "No matter how much we fight, I'll never just leave you."

"I know, Genma," Raidou exhaled and looked at the floor beneath him. "Things aren't okay between us. We need to sort this out but....lets just concentrate on getting through this for now, okay?"

Genma nodded and sat up in his chair. Raidou stood up, satisfied that he had reassured him at least a little. He squeezed Genma's shoulder for a long moment, wanting to hold him instead, or kiss him senseless so he forgot all the dark memories running through his mind.

Instead, he released his shoulder and turned for the door.

"Raidou."

He paused with his hand on the door and looked over his shoulder at his lifelong friend.

"Thanks."

With a small smile, he nodded and left the room, returning to Tsunade's side to watch the rest of the gruelling interview.

* * *

TBC

A/N: I am interested to know if people would like to read the last part of Genma's ordeal, or if you would prefer to just move the story on. I am quite happy with this peice of writing and I hope you are too!


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